March 2000

It’s March 1st and we’re not lyin’. It’s coming in like a lamb. Does that mean it’s gonna leave like a lion? Is that the truth? Or are you lyin’? Ezra’s been out to lunch for the past month. He got a new computer game. It’s called the Age Of Empires. Basically the idea is to build empires that span centuries by using resources wisely and balancing your society. Originally, Ezra’s idea was to build an artistic utopia that traded well with its neighbors and provided the connective tissue of a neutral society in a basically hostile world. It was going to be beautiful. Temples were built and resources were spent developing architecture and woodworking and pottery. A few years into the development of this grand society, Visigoths and Huns came in and slaughtered all the artisans, pillaged all the buildings and burned the priests at the stake. Ezra had to rebuild and this time he wasn’t gonna take it! Grand armies with marauding elephant archers and legions of crack swordsmen protected the valuable resources. He sent catapults out to wipe out all opponents of his global vision.
So, in the Dallas Ft. Worth airport, a man walked up to Keith and said, “Hey, what’s going on? Where’s Mr. Bear?”. Keith started to tell the tragic saga of how Mr. Bear disappeared in Ft. Worth, TX in the vicinity of a country western nightclub named Billy Bob’s and of how we feared he had gone country and how un-bear-able life had been until Ro Bear showed up. But before Keith could speak, the man behind him replied to the first gentleman saying, “Mr. Bayer has gone to the restroom. He’ll meet us at the gate.” Keith is very glad that he didn’t respond first. It would have at least been em-bear-assing and at worst could have earned him a trip to security.
We hope your spring has arrived and you’re enjoying the same lovely weather we are. If not, it’s surely around the corner.
Come see us.